Fighting Back
by youngheartsrunfree
Summary: Madeline Stryder didn't know what to think when her sister came stumbling back into their lives.


"Jaime, you need to stay back here, okay?" I smiled down at my little brother as I brushed some of his hair out of his face. "I'll be right back, just promise me you won't move."

"I promise, Maddie, now go see what happened!" Jaime practically shoved me out into the open of the cave.

I smiled politely at everyone who had gathered already, but only received pitying glances in return. I frowned in confusion and stepped up towards the front of the group. I stopped in my tracks, however, when I saw my sister standing in front of the group. I gasped softly and watched with wide eyes as Jared approached her.

"Jared," she whispered and stepped forward only to have him slap her.

"What the hell, Jared?" I shouted as I pushed my way past a few people and kneeled down next to my sister's fallen body.

"Enough Jared." Uncle Jeb replied.

I glared up at the man and then turned back to brush some of Mel's hair out of her face.

"Madeline, I know it's hard." I glanced up to see Aunt Maggie glancing between me and Uncle Jeb. "She's gotta go to Doc's place, just like the rest." I turned my gaze over to Doc, he stepped back with a small frown. "Ain't that right, Doc?" Maggie pushed.

"No!" my head whipped over to the stairs I'd just hurried down. I stood immediately and moved over towards my brother.

"Jaime, please." I turned my back to everyone else and forced my brother to look at me. "We can't risk it, you know that." I frowned. "She's not Melanie anymore."

"You don't know that!" Jaime replied, looking from me to Uncle Jeb and even to Jared.

A few minutes later Jared was assigned the task of taking Melanie down to one of the empty cells. I leaned against the walls of the cave and watched Jaime lean over one of the holes in the floor and watch as Jared walked beneath him with our sister in his arms.

"Jaime, can you go to your room?" Uncle Jeb spoke softly to my little brother as he moved about the empty space.

I stood from the wall. I knew immediately what was coming and I felt the need to physically prepare myself for the argument that was bound to begin.

Jaime looked over at me, but I only frowned and shook my head. He sighed and went up the stairs towards his room. I crossed my arms and stepped closer to the group that was slowly forming in the center of the room.

"Jeb, I think just about everyone agrees that we should kill that thing." One of the guys began.

"If it were any other Soul, I'd probably agree with you." Jeb replied. "But this is my niece, Jaime and Maddie's sister."

I felt almost everyone turn their gaze onto me. I frowned and crossed my arms, staring across the circle at my uncle.

"She was my sister." I flinched a little at Uncle Jeb's disappointed frown. "I don't know what you expect me to say, she was my sister and now she isn't. There's a parasite sucking on her brain."

I was lying. It didn't matter what happened, she was still Melanie. She was the most stubborn person I'd ever met, I had to believe that somewhere in there, she was still there.

My hard gaze flickered over to Kyle and lost some of its steam. I sighed and stepped away from the group. I turned my back and began the walk down to the cells.

I quietly made my way downstairs and found Jared silently leaning against the wall. He looked up at me with a blank face and didn't say anything as I passed him and walked into the cell holding my sister's body. She sat up almost immediately and stared at me as I slowly made me way closer to her.

"What's your name?" I asked.

She remained silent for a few beats before gulping out, "Wanderer."

I nodded.

"Why do you ask?" she replied.

"Knowing your name makes it harder to kill you and easier to distinguish you from my sister." I told her as I sat down on the rock bench next to her. "I'm Madeline, of course if you're in Melanie's head you already knew that, huh?" I shrugged.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Wanderer replied.

"I brought you some food." I handed over a bowl of soup and bread. "It's not much, but it's something."

Wanderer almost immediately began devouring the food I'd handed her. I scooted back so that my back was against the cave wall and pulled my legs up to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees, watching silently as she ate.

I heard voices coming from the hallway and stood to check it out. I turned back to warn Wanderer silently to stay where she was and then peaked out just in time to see Jared punch Kyle.

"Jared!" I hurried out of the cell. "Is this becoming some type of habit for you?" I chastised.

"No!" I jerked back and watched in horror as Wanderer came sprinting out of the cell. "I am what you want!"

"Stay back!" Jared pushed her back behind us. I gripped her arm in my hand and tried to hold her behind me protectively.

Jared and Kyle began punching each other. I watched silently with wide eyes as they brought each other to the ground and continued to fight. Ian hurried over to me and easily wretched Wanderer from my grip. He pushed her up against the cave wall and wrapped his hands around her neck.

"No!" I tried to jump at his back, but a pair of arms wrapped around my waist prevented me from moving towards him. I clawed at my captor, but his hold didn't budge. "Ian! Please!" I sobbed, trying to reach for Ian.

A gunshot rang out, causing almost all of us to immediately drop to the ground. I stood slowly, wiping dirt from my pants. I hurried over to Wanderer.

"Evening everyone." Uncle Jeb lowered his gun. "I hate to remind you, but this is my place and you are my guests. For the moment, she is too." He nodded over to Wanderer, who had begun to cling to me.

"I don't take kindly to my guests strangling each other."

"Jeb, it's got to die!" Kyle argued from his position still on the ground. "We took a vote."

"This ain't a democracy." Jeb told him as he moved forward towards us. "It's a dictatorship. It's a benign dictatorship, but it's a dictatorship just the same." Jeb said as he reached out and helped Kyle up from the ground.

"You mind telling us what you plan to do with it?" Ian asked.

I had forgotten that he was standing right next to me when moments before he had his hands around my sister's neck. It proved just how strange this life was that I continued to stand next to him, completely safe and not at all worried that he'd hurt me.

"This ain't never happened before," Jeb said. "One of our own coming back."

Wanderer's gaze dropped down to the floor, but her grip on my arm remained tight.

"For right now this tunnel's off limits." Jeb said, looking around the group. "If I find any of you down here I'm asking questions second."

Everyone began filing out of the tunnel. I refused to look at Kyle even after he brushed against me in his exit.

"I'll take the next watch, Jared." Jeb told him.

"Keep it away from the kid." I flinched when Jared replied.

He walked around me and down the tunnel. I turned and checked on Wanderer. I brushed some of her hair from her face and inspected her neck, making sure she was okay.

"Madeline," I turned and met Uncle Jeb's gaze. "I can handle it."

I nodded slowly and then turned back to Wanderer. I met her gaze and for a moment I could pretend like the shining silver ring wasn't there, like it was my sister staring back at me. That moment ended, however, when she blinked and reminded me yet again that Melanie was gone, probably for forever.

"Be careful." I stepped back and then turned and walked away.

I couldn't look back at her. I couldn't keep telling myself that there could be a possibility that my sister was still alive in there. It wasn't possible.

I stepped out from the tunnels and felt a body collide with my own. I was pushed back by the force but wrapped my arms tightly around my little brother only a moment later. Jaime pressed his face further in my shoulder. I moved my hand up to cup the back of his head and moved to kiss his temple.

"It's gonna be okay, I promise."

"You can't promise that, Maddie." He replied as he moved out of my arms.

I stared down at my little brother and sighed. This world, this life had changed him so much. He used to be so carefree and happy. He had way too much responsibility and darkness surrounding him now. We all did. When I was fourteen my life revolved around swimming in the ocean and flirting with boys. Jaime's life at fourteen was another world.


End file.
